The Digital Technology for Democracy Lab is a collaboration across the University of Virginia that explores how rapidly evolving digital technologies can challenge, but might also fortify, democratic institutions and practices.
Pioneering transdisciplinary research to explore democracy in the digital age
Our Focus
Research & Programming
Data in the Dark
Automation’s Ecologies
Visual Misinformation
AI & the Environment
Student Technology Council
Technology & Disinformation
Social Contagions
Gender & Tech
Co-Opting AI
Urban Digital Twins
Technology & Democracy Exchange
Data Center Policies
Descendant-Led Digital Humanities Lab & Network
Cryptocurrency & Democracy
Trending
DTD Lab Welcomes New Postdocs & Faculty
Meet the Lab
Reimagining AI for Environmental Justice & Creativity Collection of Essays
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Insights from the Visual Generative AI Propaganda Convening
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Video Library
FLiNG Report Launch: How Finfluencers, Fin-Tech, and FOMO Shape Young Adults’ Financial Well-being
Cryptocurrency & Democracy
In the News
The Need for Transnational Perspectives on the Social, Legal and Environmental Impact of Artificial Intelligence
A new outcome report of the UN Internet Governance Forum Data and Artificial Intelligence Governance Coalition features a contribution co-authored by Jess Reia, DTD Lab faculty co-lead, highlighting perspectives of the Global South, diverse regional solutions, and impact on human rights, labor, and global power asymmetries.
When Influencers Delegate Replies: How Social AI Agents Shape User Engagement
A new paper co-authored by DTD Lab faculty co-lead, Steven Johnson, introduces the concept of "Social AI Agents" — LLM-powered proxies that respond on behalf of an individual, serving as a delegated extension of a real person's social identity.
How AI can lead to false arrests and wrongful convictions
AI algorithms such as facial recognition systems produce probabilities, not facts. In this recent article, DTD Lab postdoc Maria Lungu and faculty co-lead Steve Johnson examine how errors in AI tools can contribute to wrongful arrests.
Join our vibrant lab and help us explore the intersection of digital technology and democracy.
Current Opportunities